Trio in the Carriage(1)

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"Shut up! If you don''t wish to end up on the guillotine yet, keep quiet!" Raphael warned him, his voice lowered with a threatening tone.

The carriage came to a halt near the checkpoint, where a bearded National Guard tapped on the carriage wall, indicating that the passengers inside undergo a routine inspection.

"Salute. I am de Saint-Clemont. You surely remember me, good citizen?" Raphael greeted the person outside with a tipsy voice. With one hand deliberately shielding the private position of the entwined lovers, and the other gripping the carriage doorframe, his hanging wide lantern sleeve conveniently obstructed the outsider''s view.

"And the other two?" The bearded guard impatiently gestured towards the two individuals closer to the interior.

"As you can see, it''s a bit... how should I put it... ahem... inconvenient here," Raphael replied.

The bearded guard furrowed his brows. "Hmm. Though I strongly support Danton—damn morals! The revolution is about allowing people to freely indulge! But you guys, three? Suspicious."

Edith and Andre, pressed closely together, could feel the nervous pounding of each other''s hearts within their chests.

"What, you''re also a friend of Danton, haven''t you heard his more famous saying? In a republic, Lady Liberty belongs to everyone, and promiscuity is her virtue! Now, we just have two men here, yet you can''t bear to see it?" Raphael retorted, tilting his chin back and assuming the demeanor of a dandy, surprisingly matching his aristocratic appearance.

"Hmph, you have a cultured face, yet your words truly make one blush!" The bearded guard, surprised and embarrassed, waved his hand and signaled to the station personnel. "Fine, let them pass!"

"We''re saved." As the carriage rumbled back onto the road, Edith finally released her head from her lover''s embrace and looked down at him with a whisper filled with relief.

The joy of survivi